Satellogic and HEO announced a landmark agreement that establishes a significant new pillar of Australian sovereign space capability. Through the full title acquisition of the in-orbit NewSat-34 satellite, a legacy Mark IV-g satellite currently in orbit, HEO becomes the first Australian entity to own and operate a sub-meter resolution satellite. The satellite is already in orbit and actively collecting data, providing HEO with immediate operational capacity. Renamed Continuum-1, this acquisition represents a milestone in Australian space sovereignty and marks the first time Satellogic has sold a legacy, in-orbit satellite through its Sovereignty Government Program.
The acquisition provides HEO with full operational control over its first-owned satellite. Continuum-1 will serve as HEO’s dedicated in-orbit research and development test bed for non-Earth imaging, enabling the company to test novel image acquisition modes, expand its deep catalog of satellite imagery, and generate comprehensive AI-ready datasets critical to accelerating autonomous non-Earth imaging systems. Simultaneously, the acquisition establishes sovereign space capability for Australia without the extended timelines and costs associated with building and launching a new satellite. As an owned and controlled Australian satellite, Continuum-1 provides the nation with independent access to critical space-based capabilities.
Beyond its primary NEI mission, Continuum-1 delivers tangible national benefits as Australia’s first sub-meter resolution remote sensing satellite under sovereign control. Originally designed by Satellogic for high-resolution Earth observation, the satellite’s remaining operational capabilities provide additional imaging capacity to support Australia’s national interests. By ensuring priority access to imaging capacity, Continuum-1 extends the operational life of a legacy satellite while delivering continued value. This dual-purpose approach makes the platform a positive for Australian research and innovation.
“The acquisition of NewSat-34 represents a historic shift in our nation’s space maturity. For the first time, Australia moves from being wholly dependent on foreign governments and commercial queues to having direct ownership of a sub-meter resolution satellite,” said Dr. Will Crowe, CEO and Co-Founder of HEO. “By working with Satellogic to bring this proven satellite under Australian title, we are establishing a sovereign testbed that accelerates our core Non-Earth Imaging product. This provides a platform for domestic innovation and ensures that Australian interests finally have priority access to high-resolution data from a satellite we control.”
Rather than waiting years for a purpose-built spacecraft, the acquisition of an existing on-orbit satellite delivers immediate capability at significantly lower cost and complexity. “Selling an in-orbit legacy satellite like NewSat-34 removes a major operational constraint for customers that require sovereignty, control, and speed,” said Luciano Giesso, Vice President of Space Systems at Satellogic. “Ownership delivers full priority and capacity for mission execution, enabling higher cadence and availability than is possible through shared or third-party access. This is the fastest path to sovereign space capability.”
The move also reflects Satellogic and HEO’s commitment to orbital sustainability, demonstrating how satellites nearing the end of life for one mission profile can be repurposed to deliver meaningful value in adjacent applications such as NEI. Continuum-1 builds on a longstanding commercial relationship between Satellogic and HEO. To date, HEO sourced imagery services from Satellogic. With Continuum-1, the relationship now extends to satellite ownership and operations, aligning the full imaging cycle under HEO’s control.
Satellogic will continue providing operational support for Continuum-1, leveraging its expertise in satellite operations while HEO maintains ownership and control of the satellite. The Continuum-1 satellite, previously known as NewSat-34 (Amelia Earhart), will continue operations from its current orbit as HEO transitions control and begins its new mission supporting Australia’s growing space sector.
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